Directing

Richard Reeves

Born September 21, 1959 · Weymouth, England, UK (age 66)

Richard Reeves creates animations by drawing both sound and picture directly onto film and has produced award winning films that have screened at festivals around the world. He has taught animation courses across Canada, Europe and South America. Reeves has collaborated with artists often involving dancing human projection screens, 16mm violin, interactive animation installations, online animation…

Known For

Zig Zag

Zig Zag · 1994

Zig zag pictures dance to zig zag sounds; both sound and picture drawn onto 35mm film.

Aura

Celebration of film as an artform for the Liaison Independent Filmmakers of Toronto: 25 Film Manifesto’s. Both sound and picture drawn onto 35mm film.

Linear Dreams

Linear Dreams · 1997

The sound of a heartbeat pumps life into Linear Dreams, a scratch animation film that moves from the simple lines of the unconscious to representational realism.

Twilight

Twilight · 2019

An exploration of the relationship between sound and picture inspired by the two lights (twi-light) found inside film projectors.

Sailor's Grave

Sailor's Grave · 2014

The horrors of a shipwreck, the bells of aforgotten lighthouse and the coming and going of the tides surround a tale about the sea. 'Sailor’s Grave' is the result of a workshop based on a work method taking its inspiration from the exquisite corpse game, a mechanism of collective creation where the participants manipulate and transform one another's drawings to construct an intuitive, improvised narration.

Fusion

Drawn directly onto 35mm motion picture film without the use of camera or musical instruments, a visual and aural feast for the senses.

Sea Song

Sea Song · 1999

This animated film flows through a vibrant underwater landscape, shown at night time. Sound and picture are drawn directly on film - cameraless animation.

Dunvegan

Dunvegan · 2026

MovieAnimationDocumentary

Story about creation as told by the Dunne-za people of northern Alberta. Richard Reeves' animation excerpt, which was originally commissioned as part of "Dunvegan: Where the Trails Cross".

Filmography

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Zig Zag

Zig Zag · 1994

Zig zag pictures dance to zig zag sounds; both sound and picture drawn onto 35mm film.

Director

Aura

Celebration of film as an artform for the Liaison Independent Filmmakers of Toronto: 25 Film Manifesto’s. Both sound and picture drawn onto 35mm film.

Director

Linear Dreams

Linear Dreams · 1997

The sound of a heartbeat pumps life into Linear Dreams, a scratch animation film that moves from the simple lines of the unconscious to representational realism.

Director

Twilight

Twilight · 2019

An exploration of the relationship between sound and picture inspired by the two lights (twi-light) found inside film projectors.

Director

Sailor's Grave

Sailor's Grave · 2014

The horrors of a shipwreck, the bells of aforgotten lighthouse and the coming and going of the tides surround a tale about the sea. 'Sailor’s Grave' is the result of a workshop based on a work method taking its inspiration from the exquisite corpse game, a mechanism of collective creation where the participants manipulate and transform one another's drawings to construct an intuitive, improvised narration.

Director

Fusion

Drawn directly onto 35mm motion picture film without the use of camera or musical instruments, a visual and aural feast for the senses.

Director

Sea Song

Sea Song · 1999

This animated film flows through a vibrant underwater landscape, shown at night time. Sound and picture are drawn directly on film - cameraless animation.

Director

Dunvegan

Dunvegan · 2026

MovieAnimationDocumentary

Story about creation as told by the Dunne-za people of northern Alberta. Richard Reeves' animation excerpt, which was originally commissioned as part of "Dunvegan: Where the Trails Cross".

Director

Intersextion

Intersextion · 2022

Handmade optical sounds and drawing directly to 35mm film. Two abstract energies fall in love, unite as one then disappear into a vanishing point.

Director

Garbanzo

Garbanzo · 1992

A short camera-less animation by director Richard Reeves

Director

TV: transformational vibrations.

Director

The Yarwood Trail

The Yarwood Trail · 2009

The Yarwood Trail

Director

1:1

This cameraless animation is about the 1:1 relationship between sound & picture: the 1:1 concept became the structure for the entire piece and spawns further thought about relationships between elements in cinema (artist to medium, viewer to screen, projector to film).

Director

Wood and Metal Bars

Wood and Metal Bars · 2021

Wood and Metal Bars

MovieAnimationMusic

A meditative journey through colour, form and sound. This film was created for Toronto chamber music composer Frank Horvat. The composition is performed by Canadian percussionist Beverley Johnston. The animation is created by painting ink directly onto 16mm film.

Director

The Element of Light

The Element of Light · 2004

The Element of Light

A direct-on-film piece

Director

Countdown to Animation

Countdown to Animation · 2015

Countdown to Animation

A countdown leader spliced with found film introduces a very short painted-on-film animation. The soundtrack was made using samples of handmade 35mm optical sounds composed on a computer.

Director

1/24 Pink

1/24 Pink · 2024

Homage to the single frame of film and the colour Pink in 1/24 of a second. 16mm scratch on film image with handmade optical sounds.

Director